North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) today quoted deputy chief of the general staff Ko Jong-chol as saying South Korean units carried out a "serious act of military provocation" on 19/8. He accused them of firing more than 10 warning shots toward North Korean soldiers erecting a fence to close the border between the two countries.
"This is a very serious development and will certainly make the situation at the border spin out of control. This area has a large number of soldiers facing each other," General Ko said.
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The North Korean side of the demilitarized zone in June. Photo: AFP |
The North Korean side of the demilitarized zone in June. Photo: AFP
The North Korean deputy chief of the general staff said his country had informed the US military about the plan to build the fence on 25/6 and 18/7 to avoid misunderstandings and unintended clashes. According to him, the US side considered this a "sincere tension reduction measure" and confirmed the project was being carried out on North Korean territory.
"Despite this, the provocative acts to heighten tension against our soldiers continue, even becoming more malicious and increasing in scale," General Ko said.
He warned that the North Korean military will respond to any actions that interfere with the border closure efforts. "If the behavior of preventing or hindering this non-military project continues, we will consider it a deliberate military provocation and take corresponding countermeasures," General Ko emphasized.
South Korea and the US have not commented on the North Korean accusations.
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Location of the Korean peninsula. Graphic: CSIS |
Location of the Korean peninsula. Graphic: CSIS
The last similar incident occurred in early April, when the South Korean military fired warning shots at 10 North Korean soldiers who crossed south of the military demarcation line. The group of North Korean soldiers later returned north of the demarcation line.
In 10/2024, Pyongyang announced it would completely close the inter-Korean border and then detonated sections of roads and railways connecting the two sides. These sections were no longer in use, but still held deep symbolic meaning.
Pham Giang (KCNA, AFP)
